Yahaya Bello, the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, pleaded not guilty on Friday to an 18-count allegation brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission.
The charge includes money laundering, breach of trust, and misappropriation of public funds totaling around N80.2 billion.
After the charge was read to him, Bello stated that he was not guilty of all 18 charges.
When the case was called for hearing, counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, informed Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja that the prosecution intended to withdraw an earlier move for abridgement of the earlier date set for arraignment.
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He explained that the application had been overrun by events.
However, the defendant’s counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, did not protest, therefore Justice Nwite approved the request.
